so did you inherit it....or what ???

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-25-2009, 10:35 AM

your frugalness... do you come from a frugal family and grew up with this lifestyle...

or did you obtain it later in life....out of necessity, marriage, eye-opening experience maybe... ???

**jamie79** · 01-25-2009, 10:41 AM

My mom was frugal but I so did not get it until later in my life.

**madhen** · 01-25-2009, 10:42 AM

My parents were very frugal, but I kind of had a whiplash reaction to it. Started with my first credit card in college, then met up with a significant other who spent like there was no tomorrow and learned some VERY bad habits.

So my frugality, such as it is, comes at the cost of blood, sweat, and tears every day. It is still a fragile thing, and I have to conscientiously nurse it every day to keep it alive.

**khjmom** · 01-25-2009, 10:53 AM

My mom was frugal to a degree. She would use coupons, and would buy alot of things when they were on sale...but it wasn't always stuff we would use. They would plant a garden....but then we wouldn't do very much with it. Now that dad has retired..they have become alot more frugal. They are working toward not being dependent on anyone. They just had part of their land cleared for a huge garden, and dad is looking at buying a cow and even chickens. They do use coupons, but only for what they can use. She has learned to sew, and is now learning to quilt. It's like I have totally new parents! We are learning things together. She is wanting me to travel to her house to can and such this summer..but she lives 5 hours away from me! We do share stockpiling tips, I share alot of what I am learning here. She doesn't laugh at my change jar....I had to give her one. We are sharing clothes...extends both our closets. We share recipes and such.

**mombottoo** · 01-25-2009, 10:54 AM

My mom was frugal, my dad was not! I am a little bit of both of my parents...I'm frugal with most things in my life...but, I do like to go to the casino which isn't by any stretch of the imagination frugal lol. However, I wouldn't go to the casino if I couldn't afford to do so...

**nvmommyx6** · 01-25-2009, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by mombottoo

My mom was frugal, my dad was not! I am a little bit of both of my parents...I'm frugal with most things in my life...but, I do like to go to the casino which isn't by any stretch of the imagination frugal lol. However, I wouldn't go to the casino if I couldn't afford to do so...

I live in Nevada and worked in Casino's(also played in them!!)
I got these games, it works wonders to save $$ and get to play to if your interested!!
www.phantomefx.com you can pick them up at walmart for $20. and download some offline that are about $5. a piece!!

My folks were frugal, it was a necessity being raised in the woods in Alaska! I have always been frugal, and always will be, I like it that way!!
Now that we live out here in the states, my Mom is not quite as frugal as she used to be in the sticks, however, what she is not frugal in she deserves!!

**rainbowgc** · 01-25-2009, 12:00 PM

I was a young mother so............ you know the rest, necessity.

**Michelle68** · 01-25-2009, 12:08 PM

My mom was (is) definitely not frugal. I think if I inherited it, it must've come from my grandmother. She was frugal with style.

**Monner 1** · 01-25-2009, 12:12 PM

My Mom and Dad were both very frugal. My Dad always added water to the last bit of shampoo and my Mother washed paper dixie cups and saved the styrofoam meat trays among other things. She even made all of my Barbie doll clothes. This is just a few of the things they did. I guess I am a chip off the old block.

Monner

**nandmsmom** · 01-25-2009, 12:14 PM

My parents have always been frugal out of necessity. I've gone back and forth with frugality. When I had DD 4 years ago it became much more of a necessity and now its just fun to see how hard I can pinch a penny!

**jas** · 01-25-2009, 12:18 PM

My parents were frugal, but we were never deprived of anything. In fact they were frugal with themselves and then gave us to much at times. They both grew up in hard times and were savers at least my dad was. Did not believe in cc and used only what he could pay off the next month.

I guess he has rubbed off on me. My DH is frugal my nature. Does not like to spend money on much. And spends so little that I have to test him every now again to catch him up on costs.

Also choosing to be a one income family 20 years ago it had to be a way of life for us.

**pecunierrant** · 01-25-2009, 12:31 PM

My Mom was/is very frugal with stuff, like reusing bread bags, saving containers, saving stuff to resuse.

But... She is also a very poor money manager. Not frugal with money.
Have tried to talk about this but the whole issue goes no where.

I've had to learn to be a money task master for our financial well being.

**lmbaker520** · 01-25-2009, 12:34 PM

I didn't inherit my frugalness from my Mom. I think that it came more from my Grandmother who just recently passed away. I especially see this with our shopping styles and the way that she enjoyed stockpiling like I do. My family teases me that I am just like her...

**joyofsix** · 01-25-2009, 12:55 PM

Frugality was born and bred into my bones.

**Marie78** · 01-25-2009, 01:28 PM

The first 10 years of my life, my parents were frugal. They drove one used car, my dad carpooled to work, they bought a small inexpensive home that I lived in for 21 years of my life. Mom clipped coupons, made dinner every night, eating out was a treat maybe 2x a year. My mom dried laundry on the clothes line, canned veggies and fruits when they were in season, sewed clothes, curtains, pillows for our home. Every year we had a yard sale to get rid of anything we no longer used and that money was used for new school clothes and supplies for my sister and I.

Then they changed...my mom and dad redecorated the house, started charging expenses, bought a pool, a new car, and "things." Then they divorced and it was convenience foods and take out a lot of nights. My sister and I were no better off, but the debts they ran up in separate households made finances difficult.

When I finished college I had: A college loan, car loan, car insurance, living expenses, etc... these were bills I had not had in college and my jobs out of college didn't pay well enough to afford myself. I clipped coupons, didn't eat out, didn't go out much, I shopped thrift stores/sales racks, I brought my food to work from home. I did as many frugal things as I could think of, but the money coming in was always exactly or even less than the bills I had. I struggled for 5 long years until I paid my car and college loans off in full. Then I was able to tackle the credit card debt, which was inevitable when I couldn't afford to live for the first five years on my own.

I guess I learned from my first 10 years of life how to live frugally. Then I learned valuable real life financial lessons from my first 5 years on my own. My Dh and I are very careful with money and try to make the wisest choices for us at the time. We have lived through my being unemployed 2x now and it was rough, but we made it through and it made us stronger for it. Life, Life experience, and the economy have made me the frugal person I am today

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